1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for reducing vehicular emissions and to a vehicle which incorporates the method and apparatus and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for reducing such emissions when the vehicle is started.
2. Background of the Invention
A vehicle, such as and without limitation a hybrid electric vehicle, typically includes an internal combustion engine which may be selectively started or activated and, once started or activated, produces torque from the selective combustion of a mixture of gas and air. Such combustion causes certain material to be produced which emanates from and which is exhausted from the engine. The vehicle further, according to one emission control strategy, typically includes a catalytic converter assembly which receives the exhausted material and which processes or converts much, but not all, of such produced material into a desired material and which emits the processed material from the vehicle. Hence, relatively small amounts of the material which is originally exhausted from the engine may be actually emitted into the atmosphere by the vehicle, such undesirable material typically being referred to as vehicular emissions.
Typically, the catalytic converter assembly must reside at or above a certain minimum threshold temperature in order to process the received material in a desired manner. When the vehicle is initially started, the temperature of the catalytic converter assembly may be relatively cool (e.g., especially during a cold start , such as when the vehicle has been parked for a relatively long time in a relatively cold ambient environment), thereby causing a relatively large amount of the engine exhaust material to be emitted from the catalytic converter assembly and from the vehicle and causing the amount of such vehicular emissions to be undesirably large. The present invention addresses this drawback and reduces such vehicular emissions when the vehicle is started, especially during a cold start condition or operation.
An assembly and apparatus are provided for reducing the amount of undesirable emissions which emanate from the vehicle and which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of current emission control strategies.
In particular, the invention is particularly advantages as the vehicle is being started and as the engine is being operated for a predetermined amount of time after the vehicle is started.
In accordance with the present invention, an assembly is provided for increasing the temperature of a catalytic converter assembly. The assembly includes at least one heater, which is coupled to the catalytic converter assembly and a controller which is coupled to the at least one heater which detects the movement of an ignition switch to an activated position and, based upon the detected position of the ignition switch, activates the at least one heater, thereby heating the catalytic converter assembly when the ignition switch is moved to the activated position.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle having a catalytic converter assembly, an engine which is coupled to the catalytic converter assembly, an ignition switch which may be selectively moved to a certain position which causes the engine to be started, a selectively energizable heater which is coupled to the catalytic converter assembly, a battery, and a controller which is coupled to the battery, to the ignition switch, and to the selectively energizable heater, the controller detecting the movement of the ignition switch to the certain position and, in response to the detected movement, causes energy to be communicated from the battery to the heater, thereby selectively energizing the heater and causing the catalytic converter assembly to be heated.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for reducing emissions from a vehicle of the type having a selectively activatable engine and a catalytic converter which is coupled to the engine. Particularly, the method includes the steps of sensing the activation of the engine; and heating the catalytic converter assembly upon the sensed activation of the engine.